The Coalition conducts public workshops and forums around the state, involving the public, public officials, and the media in discussing government accessibility as provided in the various statutes that assure such access and accountability from our public agencies.
WCOG President Selected for Induction to State Open Government Hall of Fame
National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) announced Nixon’s selection jointly today. The State Open Government Hall of Fame, begun in 2003, was developed by national leaders of SPJ and NFOIC to recognize the contributions made by open government advocates in individual states.
This year’s formal induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 12, at a luncheon during the 2012 FOI Summit at the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club in Madison, Wisconsin, hosted by NFOIC and the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. Toby will also be speaking at the FOI Summit. His panel session will focus on the ongoing battles to prevent loss of existing access in the legislatures and the courts. Click here for more information and to register.
Save the Date! James Madison-James Andersen Awards ceremony & CLE seminar to be held Friday, September 21, 2012
Don’t miss the 2012 Madison-Andersen awards ceremony & CLE seminar on Friday, September 21. The James Madison-James Andersen Awards Event is held annually to honor an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary devotion to the principles of open government and the First Amendment in words and deeds, and to honor an individual or organization that has worked tirelessly to advance the work of the Coalition.
Click here to download award nomination forms. Nominations are due June 30, 2012.
More information coming soon!
SPD looking for ways to legally release dashcam videos
KOMO News: April 16, 2012.
Fresh off a judge's ruling that said the Seattle Police Department can withhold dashcam videos from the public, the department announced Monday it will propose legislation to legalize the release of those same videos.
Department officials have long argued that state privacy laws prevent them from releasing dashcam videos to the media or the public for three years.
Public should have right to see police videos
The Seattle Times: April 15, 2012.
POLICE departments in Washington should make dash-camera videos available to people who request them under the state Public Records Act. If this violates state law on privacy, as was ruled by Judge Jim Rogers of King County Superior Court, the law should be changed.
How a bill SHOULD become a law
Washington Policy Center: April 13, 2012.
Based on an email update from Washington Education Association (WEA) President Mary Lindquist, it looks like Washington school children will soon be learning a new version of "how a bill becomes a law." Here is what she told WEA members:
Things were thrown in the budget deal at the last moment...
Washington Policy Center: April 12, 2012.
Interesting compare and contrast between the Governor's last two press conference on the budget deal.
The first clip is from her April 11 early morning statements about calling the 2nd Special Session and no one needing to worry about additional time to review the details in the budget because there weren't any "surprises":
KOMO appeals police dashcam ruling to state Supreme Court
KOMO News: April 12, 2012.
Late Thursday, attorneys representing KOMO News asked the state Supreme Court to overturn a King County judge's ruling in favor of the Seattle Police Department's right to deny the media - and the public - access to their dashcam videos and keep them sealed for three years. The three-year mark is also when the department's system is set to automatically delete those videos.
Nixon selected for open government recognition
The Seattle Times: April 6, 2012.
The president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government has been selected for induction into Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame for 2012.
Toby Nixon, a former state legislator and now a Kirkland City Council member, was selected by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Society of Professional Journalists.
2012 FOI Hero Award Winner Announced
NFOIC: April 6, 2012.
Toby Nixon, president of Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) and a city council member in Kirkland, Washington, has been selected for induction into Heroes of the 50 States: The State Open Government Hall of Fame for 2012.
Our future depends on open government
Bellevue Reporter: April 4, 2012.
Sept. 25, 2008, was just another Thursday in Seattle – until the federal government orchestrated the largest bank failure in U.S. history.
Late that afternoon, officials with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the former Office of Thrift Supervision strode through the lobby of the Seattle headquarters of Washington Mutual and entered an elevator. On the 32nd floor they walked into the boardroom, where they presented the bank’s directors with legal papers that said the federal government had seized and sold WaMu’s banking subsidiaries.
Freedom Foundation v. Christine Gregoire
Freedom Foundation: April 3, 2012.
The Freedom Foundation is taking Governor Christine Gregoire to the Washington State Supreme Court to fight against a major expansion of government secrecy. Two questions are raised in our lawsuit. The first is whether the governor can withhold records from public review without citing a statutory exemption. Second, we ask if the constitutional theory of executive privilege trumps Washington’s Public Records Act.
Kent forum to discuss public records, open meetings laws
Kent Reporter: April 2, 2012.
Learn about the public's right to access government information at a free forum Wednesday, April 18 at the Kent Senior Activity Center.
Why is the state Department of Ecology facing huge fines over violations of the Public Records Act? What is the problem with the Everett School Board? What did the Whatcom County Council do to violate the Open Public Meetings Act?
State closes public notice loophole for 'special' city meetings
Kitsap Sun: April 1, 2012.
The state closed a legal loophole last week that had been used to justify the city of Bainbridge's controversial closed-door Civil Service Commission meetings last year.
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill Thursday that requires local governments to publicly notice "special meetings" unless they involve serious public safety emergencies. The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, had unanimous support in the House and Senate.
Gloria Fletcher named president of Sound Publishing
Kirkland Reporter: March 30, 2012.
Gloria Fletcher has been named President of Sound Publishing.
Court will decide executive privilege case
The Olympian: March 30, 2012.
n the last days of the regular legislative session, Senate Republicans with the help of three Democrats used a rare parliamentary procedure to seize a majority and adopt their budget on the Senate floor.
Gov. Chris Gregoire was irate. “Where’s the transparency?” she asked. “This is not how we do business in Washington state.”
Medina's Police Chief Battle Leads to Lawsuit Against Sheriff to Stop Public Records Release
Seattle Weekly: March 30, 2012.
Yet a fourth lawsuit has suddenly bloomed in the midst of the City of Medina's fertile battle over its fired police chief, this one filed by Donna Hanson, city manager of the wealthy Eastside enclave, against Sue Rahr, the about-to-retire (tomorrow)Sheriff of King County. Hanson last week obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent Rahr from disclosing records of an investigator's "mental impressions" about ex-Medina chief Jeff Chen, who is suing the city for civil rights violations.
Open government forum planned June 20
The Columbian: March 29, 2012.
The Washington Coalition for Open Government will hold a free community forum on open government issues from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 20 at Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St.
Declassifying state records after 75 years
Freedom Foundation: March 27, 2012.
Today the Public Records Exemptions Accountability Committee (i.e., the “Sunshine Committee”) discussed a proposal that would allow the State Archivist to unseal public records that had previously been deemed confidential after the passage of 75 years. I testified in support of the proposal.
State ranks high for anti-corruption; but it could do better
The Olympian: March 25, 2012.
Washington state has some of the best laws on the books of any state to encourage open, transparent government and discourage political corruption.
But even the best-laid plans, many of them born out of a populist, reformist spirit dating to pioneer days, are threatened by budget cuts and reduced scrutiny of the government by the press, which leads to a reliance on citizens to be government watchdogs.
Washington State Report Card
March 2012
Open records laws with hundreds of exemptions. Budget decisions made behind closed doors. Ethics panels that haven’t met in years.
Those are among the examples of corruption risk we found in the State Integrity Investigation, an unprecedented examination of America’s state capitols. The bottom line? Not a single state earned an A grade in the year-long investigation. Half the states earned D’s or F’s. Find out what your state is doing right and wrong. See your state’s report card and share it with officials.
Public Records Help Washington Watchdogs Sniff Out Corruption
KUOW.org: March 20, 2012.
See if you can guess where this bit of political rhetoric comes from (here's a hint: think Washington state):
"Trust and confidence in governmental institutions is at an all–time low. High on the list of causes of this citizen distrust are secrecy in government and the influence of private money on governmental decision making."
Washington Scores Well On Transparency, But Up To Citizens To Verify
KUOW.org: March 19, 2012.
Washington's Public Records Act and other transparency measures have earned the state a high score in a nationwide study. The State Integrity Investigation looked at every state's disclosure practices. It ranked Washington third in the country, with a letter grade of B–. But budget cuts are curtailing investigations by government watchdogs. And all three branches of government have tried to put more of their records outside the law's scrutiny. KUOW's Amy Radil reports.
City refuses to turn over investigation into officer misconduct
The Yakima Herald: March 17, 2012.
YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima police officer is accused of misconduct and put on paid leave. City officials won’t turn over reports explaining why.
After learning earlier this month that Sgt. Erik Hildebrand had been placed on leave, the Yakima Herald-Republic filed a public records request March 9 seeking a copy of the police department’s internal investigation of the officer.
Honoring a hero of open government
Office of the Attorney General: March 16, 2012.
Sunshine Week, which began Sunday, is a national initiative to promote open government and freedom of information. It’s also a great time to celebrate a true hero of government openness and accountability.
Penn State open to going private
post-gazette.com: March 14, 2012.
Facing deep state aid cuts and pressure to submit to Right-to-Know legislation, Penn State University -- the commonwealth's flagship public campus system -- appears open to the idea of becoming a private university.
How technology should be used to spur open government
Geekwire: March 11, 2012.
The Washington Coalition for Open Government organized a conference this weekend to commemorate the 40th anniversary of our state’s landmark Initiative 276 and the Open Public Meetings Act (and to discuss the past, present and future of open government).
Our Right To Know
Read the Dirt: March 8, 2012.
In December of 2007, a Seattle Times news photographer taking aerial shots of massive flooding in Lewis County noticed a startling sight: a naked mountain.
The Times soon published a front-page color photo of a steep-sided Lewis County peak almost completely denuded by clear-cut logging. Several large landslides had gashed its slopes and plunged to a creek below. From the air, the mountain, treeless from top to bottom, looked like a plucked chicken.
Storm brews over open-government laws and secrecy
The Seattle Times: March 7, 2012.
The future of open government in Washington is cloudy. The passion and idealism that drove the proponents of the Public Records Act and the Open Meetings Act are hard to find except among a small core of open-government activists and professional journalists. Open-government proponents occasionally debate whether it's time for a new open-government initiative. There are plenty of reasons to think so.
Action needed on Sunshine work
The Olympian: March 7, 2012.
Open government advocates had high hopes for the state Sunshine Committee approved by the Legislature in 2007.
Many expected the 13-member committee consisting of state legislators, attorneys, journalists and others to pare down the steady growth of exemptions to the state Public Disclosure Act, the landmark open government law approved by voters in 1972.
Florida man who fought for dozens of government records wins the 2012 Sunshine Week Local Hero Award
Sunshineweek.org: March 6, 2012.
Joel Chandler, a Lakeland, Fla., man who has sued dozens of state and local government agencies over their failure to honor the state’s open records law, is the winner of the 2012 Sunshine Week Local Hero Award.
President Obama's muddy transparency record
Politico: March 5, 2012.
President Barack Obama set a high bar for open government, and he set it quickly.
A minute after he took office, the White House website declared his administration would become “the most open and transparent in history.” By the end of his first full day on the job, Obama had issued high-profile orders pledging “a new era” and “an unprecedented level of openness” across the massive federal government.
Sunday spin: Transparency depends on your side of the looking glass
The Spokesman Review: March 3, 2012.
Budget shenanigans a blow to transparency
HeraldNet: March 3, 2012.
In Our View: 'Transparency' Just a Whisper
The Columbian: March 2, 2012.
Sunshine Committee getting little limelight
The News Tribune: March 1, 2012.
The state’s Sunshine Committee, created as an antidote to the creep of state-sanctioned secrecy, is having a tough time persuading lawmakers to pay attention to its work.
When the Legislature formed the committee in 2007, state law included more than 300 exceptions to Washington’s broad mandate for access to public records.
Vote shows lingering rift on Everett School Board
HeraldNet: February 29, 2012.
'Burden' public-records bill appears to be dead
HeraldNet: February 28, 2012.
When stories are killed in the news business, they are described as having been "spiked."
A similar fate awaits legislation that is placed in the "X files" for the rules committees in both chambers of the Washington Legislature. It is one place bills go to die.
Title-only bills dropped to circumvent spirit of state Constitution
Washington Policy Center: February 28, 2012.
Legislature needs to put 'public' back into public hearings
The Seattle Times: February 26, 2012.
Do lawmakers in Olympia really want to hear from citizens on the bills they are considering, or are they more interested in catering to the needs of lobbyists and special interests?
New ideas offered to settle public-records disputes
The Seattle Times: February 25, 2012.
A recent increase in large payouts from public-records disputes has some in state government considering new ways to avoid costly and drawn-out court battles.
Lawsuit asks court to declare Whatcom County Council violated public meetings law
Bellingham Herald: February 23, 2012.
A new lawsuit asks a court to declare that Whatcom County Council broke state open public meetings law.
The lawsuit, filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, alleges that the County Council violated state open public meetings law withwhen email exchanges, the same thing state auditors previously said.
Ecology must pay $101,000 for records request violations
Yakima Herald: February 23, 2012.
Chronicle reporter excluded from Flood Authority meeting by tribe
TheDailyWorld.com: February 17, 2012.
Editorial: No excuses left: Record all executive sessions
The Spokesman Review: February 17, 2012.
Government bodies ought to be compelled to record their executive sessions, so that violations of the Open Public Meetings Act can be flagged. The Washington Attorney General’s Office and the state Auditor’s Office have pushed for this change, but city councils, county commissions and other public entities have resisted, saying they fear public-records requests of the recordings.
Bill makes sure officials abide by laws in executive sessions
The Olympian: February 16, 2012.
Local governments would no longer have an excuse not to maintain a video or audio record of their closed-door meetings under a bill that passed the state Senate on Monday.
R-71 Petition Signers Database Now On Line
Washington Ledge: February 16, 2012.
This just in .... here is a link to a new searchable database of some 130,000 R-71 petition signers. R-71 was the 2009 effort to repeal Washington's "everything but marriage" domestic partnership legislation.
Seattle officers reprimanded over disclosure of dash cam video
KOMO News: February 15, 2012.
For the past year the KOMO 4 Problem Solvers have uncovered case after case of questionable conduct by Seattle Police Officers caught on tape. Now we've found a chilling case that started as a simple traffic stop that could happen to any one of us. Only this time the dash cam video of the incident was shown to a man's boss, jeopardizing his very livelihood.
State high court considers rules on availability of court administrative records
The Olympian: February 12, 2012.
The state Supreme Court, prodded into action by a 2009 case involving a reprimanded Federal Way judge, is weighing a rule to underscore that court administrative records are public.
Read More »
U.S. fights to keep Indian Island blast zone information secret
Peninsula Daily News: February 11, 2012.
he Navy is relying on a new Freedom of Information Act exemption to claim it can withhold information on blast zones that would emanate from Naval Magazine Indian Island if explosives stored there are detonated.
Bill would limit fees charged for Freedom of Information requests
aikenstandard.com: February 9, 2012.
A bill sponsored by S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, would make it cheaper and faster for citizens to get copies of public documents using the state Freedom of Information Act, officials from the S.C. Press Association said.
Spokane Schools wants to charge for public records
The Spokesman Review: February 8, 2012.
Faced with a rapidly growing number of requests for public records, Spokane Public Schools wants to charge the public for the cost of locating and preparing those records.
Activist's website hammers away at Gold Bar, costs tiny town money
Seattle Times: February 6, 2012
Most small towns have a local busybody.
In Gold Bar, it's Anne Block, whose hyperlocal news site is a hotbed of rumors and accusations. She writes that city officials are "evil people," "wife-beaters" and "promiscuous." There also are restaurant recommendations and a recipe for peanut-butter cups.
McEachran testifies in favor of public records bill; language allowing blockage of burdensome requests axed
Bellingham Herald: February 6, 2012
A state Senate committee has stripped language from a bill that would have allowed a judge to block a public records request if the agency proves “that it faces significant burden in fulfilling the public record request.”
State Legislature should reject bill to charge citizens for school records
Seattle Times: February 6, 2012
PUBLIC agencies in Washington keep pushing and prodding for ways around the Public Records Act, which established the wise rule that government records belong to the people. The latest effort, Senate Bill 6576, should be rejected.
Public's right to know must be protected
Kitsap Sun: February 5, 2012
In 1972, Washington voters overwhelmingly passed Initiative 276, which resulted in creation of the state's Public Disclosure Act, a sweeping "sunshine" law that codified the public's right to know about its government.
Again this year, the Legislature is trying to "amend" that right by placing limitations on it. They do it almost every session. Why? Because somehow, they decide that accommodating the public's right to know is too inconvenient, or too costly, or just too ... bothersome.
Keep them open
The Wenatchee World: February 4, 2012
The records of government must be available to the public. The law is clear, the exceptions few, open government strongly favored over secrecy. You can cite the preamble to the state Public Records Act a million times — “ ... The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know ... ” — and still there will be public officials who say it’s a bother.
School districts do not want you to know
Washington Policy Center
Today, after the normal cutoff date for hearing bills, the Senate Ways and Means Committee will take public testimony on SB 6576. This bill requires school districts to charge for the reasonable cost of responding to public records requests. Chargeable costs include the actual classified personnel costs to conduct the search, review, redact, and copy the records. School districts must provide a written estimate of the cost within ten business days of receiving the request for information, and may require a deposit of up to 10 percent to be paid in advance.
In Depth: Open records advocate explains importance of law
King 5 News: February 2, 2012
Video in link.
State paying record amount for records lawsuits
King 5 News: February 2, 2012
In the state of Washington if a citizen requests a public record, it should be turned over unless there is a compelling reason not to do so. That's the law. But the KING 5 Investigators have found more people than ever are accusing the state of breaking that law and it's costing taxpayers millions.
The state open-records law is under siege
HeraldNet: February 2, 2012
Here is a passage from a Washington law beloved by journalists and other public watchdogs:
"The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know."
Wash. panel advances public records restrictions
Bellingham Herald: February 2, 2012
Lawmakers are advancing a plan that could limit how governments respond to requests for public documents.
A Senate panel voted 4-2 on Thursday to approve the measure. Democratic Sen. Maralyn Chase of Shoreline had initially opposed the bill, saying she had "serious concerns" and that current law may already remedy the situation. But she changed her vote after the hearing and then said through a spokesman that she actually only had technical concerns.
Legislators again forget about 'public' in records
Yakima Herald: February 2, 2012
Washington's Public Records Act spells out that the state's citizens don't yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them, government employees don't have the right to determine what people need to know, and the people insist on remaining informed about what their governments are up to.
Executive session taping bill receives public hearing
Washington Policy Center: February 1, 2012
The Senate Committee on Government Operations heard public testimony today on SB 6109: Exempting video and audio recordings of closed executive session meetings from public inspection and copying. SB 6109 reflects a new strategy by the Attorney General and State Auditor to ensure that executive sessions aren't being misused in violations of the state's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).
'Sunshine' panel wants candidates known
The News Tribune: February 1, 2012
Job applications for city managers, university presidents and top-paid positions at other government agencies would be open for public review under a proposal from the state’s “sunshine committee” that reviews exemptions in state public records law.
The measure, which received a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, would require that finalist applications for a job be subject to public disclosure after finalists are selected but before a hire is made.
LA Supervisors, With Governor, Violate Open Meetings Law
The Huffington Post: February 1, 2012
It was so ho-hummed and matter-of-factly reported that few would sense its importance when reading it.
The district attorney's office found that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors had clearly - and rather flagrantly -- violated the state's open meetings law when it met with Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown in a secret, closed-door meeting last fall to iron out details for moving thousands of state prison inmates to county jails.
Bill would limit public-record requests to state agencies
The Seattle Times: January 31, 2012
State lawmakers are exploring a plan that could limit how governments respond to requests for public documents, allowing them to get a court order if they can prove that a request creates a "significant burden."
Arlington will fight felon in court over public records
HeraldNet: January 31, 2012
The City Council had a choice: Pay $500 to an inmate who claims that Arlington failed to quickly provide copies of his case file or be prepared to spend far more for the city attorney to continue the battle in court.
Council members voted unanimously last week to ignore the inmate's offer. Instead, they will fight the felon, who was convicted of three counts of child rape.
Sex offenders' legal costs were kept secret from public
The Seattle Times: January 21, 2012
When The Seattle Times tried to find out how much money flowed to defense experts in civil-commitment cases here, it ran into two roadblocks.
King County Superior Court judges had improperly sealed hundreds of pages of court records that authorized public funds to hire the experts.
In response to school board dispute, a lesson on open meetings
HeraldNet: January 24, 2012
What can and can't be discussed by elected officials in meetings closed to the public fueled much of the controversy on the Everett School Board last year.
Tensions rose so high that school board member Jessica Olson was censured twice by fellow board members. Olson said she was fighting for more openness and transparency.
Holt wants Legislature under open meeting, records laws
News-Star.com: January 18, 2012
Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, has filed legislation to make the Oklahoma Legislature subject to the Open Meetings and Open Records Acts. Those two statutes have long provided transparency to all levels of government, but not the Legislature, which exempted itself.
Indiana Tries To Put Teeth in The Sunshine Laws
The Art of Access Blog: January 17, 2012
Public employees who intentionally circumvented public meeting and disclosure laws could be subject to fines under legislation reintroduced in the Generally Assembly.
The bills would let a judge fine a person $100 for first offense and $500 for subsequent violations of the Open Door Law or Access to Public Records Act.
State Auditor sheds light on local government finances
Washington Policy Center: January 17, 2012
State Auditor Brian Sonntag launched a new website today that allows citizens to quickly find data on local government finances.
In Our View: The Public's Rights
The Olympian: January 15, 2012
Did the new Olympia City Council begin the new year with an illegal council meeting?
Unfortunately, members of the public will never know the answer to that question because there is no audio or video record of what went on behind closed doors.
In Our View: The Public's Rights
The Columbian: January 13, 2012
Before they get deeply engrossed in deliberations over a sales tax increase, legalizing marijuana or approving gay marriage, Washington’s legislators should do themselves and their constituents a favor by reviewing this powerful passage from the Revised Code of Washington...
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital commissioners might consider increasing meetings
The SnoValley Star: January 11, 2012
In 2011, the elected board of commissioners overseeing Snoqualmie Valley Hospital held 14 special meetings — meetings requiring only 24 hours of notice to the commissioners and media outlets with a standing request for notice.
The commissioners made big decisions during at least five of the meetings — decisions ranging from approving a $15 million bond sale to approving agreements for construction of the district’s planned $37 million new facility.
TVW Introduces SCOUT
The Thicket: January 10, 2012
TVW, the Washington state public affairs network, is offering an innovative service to citizens who want to follow public policy issues and the legislative process. This new tool, called SCOUT, allows the public to easily keep track of issues. SCOUT will track video and bill information and automatically send it to those who open a free account.
Editorial: Legislature offered ways to shore up records act
The Spokesman Review: January 7, 2012
The Washington Coalition for Open Government has announced an ambitious agenda for this legislative session. It would be less ambitious if lawmakers hadn’t steadily eroded the Public Records Act since it was overwhelmingly adopted by voters in 1972.
Recording closed meetings could assure public trust
HeraldNet: January 6, 2012
One of the more tumultuous stories here in recent years has revolved around the Everett School Board and its members' apparent inability to agree on much beyond their deep-seated animus for each other.
Seattle sues attorney over public records request
KOMO 4 News: January 4, 2012
On the heels of a scathing federal review of Seattle police practices, dash-cam video is once again at the center of a firestorm at City Hall.
This time, the city is suing an attorney who wanted dash-cam videos connected to alleged police misconduct.
State auditors: Whatcom council violated public meetings law in 2010 with email exchanges
The Bellingham Herald: December 29, 2011
Whatcom County Council violated state open public meetings law in 2010 when it held email ‘meetings’ that should have been open to the public because a quorum was present and members were discussing business, state auditors said.
Some Franklin annexation public records may not be received until 2016
The Tri-City Herald: December 28, 2011
A vocal critic of Pasco's plan to annex the Franklin County doughnut hole area using a new process may not receive some documents he has asked Pasco for until 2016.
The 16 requests Roger Lenk has filed were outlined to the Pasco City Council last week.
Everett School Board plans a meeting about meetings
HeraldNet: November 25, 2011
Controversy has swirled around the Everett School Board all year over openness and transparency.
The school board now plans to hold a forum early next year to have outside experts discuss issues such as the state Open Public Meetings Act and the steps involved in getting records from government agencies.
Prison Bars: Washington Court Finds Inmate's Public Records Lawsuit-Time Barred
Local Open Government Blog: November 18, 2011
A Washington State Court of Appeals recently held that an inmate’s public records lawsuit against the State of Washington Department of Corrections (“DOC”) was time-barred, and therefore properly dismissed. Johnson v. Wash. State Dep't of Corrections, Case No.40831-7-II, 2011 WL 5345375 (Wash. Ct. App. Nov. 8, 2011).
Inmate Robert Johnson's claim concerned the DOC’s Extended Family Visiting policy (“EFV”). The EFV policy allows an offender to receive private visits from family. Under early versions of the policy, inmates could participate in the EFV program only if they had a “positive prognosis of release”, that is if they would outlive their sentence.
9th Circuit says R-71 petitions can be released
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: November 17, 2011
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request from gay-marriage opponents to block further release of Referendum 71 petitions while they appeal a prior court decision.
Referendum 71 was the unsuccessful attempt in 2009 by Protect Marriage Washington to repeal the state's "everything but marriage" law, which granted same-sex domestic partners the same rights and benefits of married couples.
Open government groups call for Supreme Court to televise health care oral arguments
National Freedom of Information Coalition: November 16, 2011
Today Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and a broad coalition of organizations called for the Supreme Court to allow the live telecast of the unusual 5½ hours of oral arguments in the cases surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Allowing cameras in the courtroom would provide every American the opportunity to hear and assess the arguments in real time. In the alternative, Americans will be forced to rely only on after-the-fact news reports, or wait for the Court to release audio recordings afterwards.
Pierce detective sues county, claims Lindquist stonewalling
The News Tribune: November 7, 2011
A Pierce County sheriff’s detective who previously filed a claim for damages against Prosecutor Mark Lindquist now is suing the county, contending Lindquist’s office inappropriately withheld what she believes are public records.
Representatives from Lindquist’s office last week characterized the lawsuit brought by Glenda Nissen as harassment and said the records she seeks contain private information that would be harmful to disclose.
Judge should make privacy call
The News Tribune: November 6, 2011
As new technology makes communication easier, it complicates efforts to monitor the official activities of public officials. It also complicates the efforts of public officials to have the private lives they deserve.
We write in today’s South Sound section about a lawsuit brought by a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy denied full access to private cellphone records of the county prosecutor. Deputy Glenda Nissen requested a log of calls and text messages Prosecutor Mark Lindquist made from his private cellphone, which he also uses for public business.
Names released of people who signed Bellingham anti-traffic camera initiative
The Bellingham Herald: November 4, 2011
City Council member Seth Fleetwood didn't just vote against allowing traffic-enforcement cameras, he signed a petition for a local initiative restricting them.
So did the candidate challenging him, Larry Farr, who says he opposes the red-light cameras and school-zone speed cameras.
Their names were among thousands on petitions for the anti-camera initiative, which is on the Nov. 8 general election ballot in Bellingham. The 6,775 names on the petitions were released to The Bellingham Herald by the Whatcom County Auditor's Office and the city of Bellingham. The Herald filed public disclosure requests seeking them.
Niners block further release of R-71 petitions
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: October 24, 2011
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a temporary injunction barring further release of petitions on Referendum 71, the unsuccessful 2009 measure that would have repealed Washington’s domestic partnership laws.
The appellate court refused a request by Protect Marriage Washington to take up the case itself, leaving it in the hands of Tacoma-based U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle.
State stops releasing Ref. 71 petitioner names
The Seattle Times: October 21, 2011
Pending a hearing Monday by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Secretary of State's Office has stopped releasing Referendum 71 petition names to the public after a conservative religious group filed an emergency motion with the court.
The decision follows a Monday ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle that Protect Marriage Washington had failed to prove the 137,500 signers of Referendum 71 petitions would be subject to harassment if their names were released.
Citizen lawmakers are part of open government
The Seattle Times: October 21, 2011
CURIOUS how these things turn out. The sponsors of Referendum 71 in 2009 had no qualms with harsh judgments about the private lives of thousands of Washington families. Those same people who sought repeal of an expansion of the state's domestic-partnership law were quick to race to court when they felt their efforts might attract scrutiny.
This week a federal judge in Tacoma lifted an injunction on the release of the 137,500 signatures collected to put R-71 on the ballot. U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle basically said Protect Marriage Washington never made a serious case for harassment — real or imagined.
Judge rules to release names of Ref. 71 petition signers
The Seattle Times: October 17, 2011
A federal judge on Monday issued a ruling to release the names of 137,500 people who two years ago signed Referendum 71 petitions to bring the state's domestic-partnership law to a vote.
The Secretary of State's Office said it would release the names immediately.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle of Tacoma said that Protect Marriage Washington, a religious conservative group that had sought to keep the names sealed, failed to show that signers would be harassed if the names were disclosed.
ALEC Adopts Principles of Legislative Transparency
Washington Policy Center: October 17, 2011
Members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have formally adopted "Principles of Legislative Transparency" to help guide how lawmakers conduct public business. ALEC is the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators, with more than 2,400 legislator members from all 50 states, and 86 former members serving in the U.S. Congress.
Seattle police records increasingly less accessible for public accountabilityThe Seattle Times: October 16, 2011
DURING the past few years, Seattle police officers have been involved in countless controversial incidents that have caught the attention of residents, activists and journalists.
During those same years, the Seattle Police Department has been creating a disturbing crime-information system that is far more ominous than the high-profile cases that grabbed headlines.
Port of Longview cancels commissioners meeting
The Daily News: October 14, 2011
The Port of Longview cancelled its planned Friday afternoon commissioners' meeting at the KLTV studio in Longview after The Daily News questioned whether the meeting was legal under the state's open meetings law, port officials announced Friday.
According to a Friday notice from the port, the meeting will be rescheduled, but a new date and venue have not been determined.
As Indian Gas-Tax Payments are Questioned, Secrecy Deepens
Washington State Wire: October 10, 2011
As questions are being raised about the state’s multi-million-dollar distributions of gas-tax money to Indian tribes, the state Department of Licensing has drawn the veil of secrecy tighter.
Last month the department stopped releasing information about the amount of public money that is given to each individual Indian tribe. All that any Washington taxpayer now can learn is the total figure – $28,142,452 last year, and growing.
Judge should allow release of initiative-petition signatures
The Olympian: October 10, 2011
All eyes are on U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma as people await his decision on whether the names of people who sign initiative and referendum petitions should be made available to the public.
Settle is expected to rule in the next few days.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because this case – those who opposed rights for same-sex domestic partners versus state attorney – has been kicking around the courts for more than two years. The case, Doe vs. Reed, already has been all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court once, where justices supported the state law that allows for the disclosure of the names.
Executive sessions: When is it OK for officials to go behind closed doors?
HeraldNet: October 7, 2011
The Aug. 23 fracas during a closed-door meeting of the Everett School Board cast a bright light on the what state law allows during executive sessions. Pushing, shoving and fighting among public officials? Nope. Private discussions about an employee's job performance, real estate transactions or national security? Absolutely. When is it OK for a school board, a city council or leaders of other public agencies to go behind closed doors, and what business may they do there?
Man sues, says SPD conceals dash-cam videos
The Seattle Times: October 5, 2011
Eric Rachner is doing everything he can to make the Seattle Police Department regret his arrest three years ago while playing a game of "urban golf" on Capitol Hill.
Even though the charges were dismissed, the 35-year-old owner of a computer-security company has dedicated his expertise to expose what he says are gaping holes in the Police Department's public-disclosure and video-retention policies. In 2010, he won a $60,000 public-disclosure judgment against the department for denying it had dashboard-camera recordings of his arrest as well as logs of the recordings, when it did.
Opinion | One-on-one talks are minefield for elected officials
Snoqualmie Valley Record: October 4, 2011
Snoqualmie’s seven council members can’t carbon-copy each other on e-mails anymore, thanks to Jodi Warren.
The Snoqualmie City Clerk takes the spirit of transparency rules very seriously, so around the time she started at City Hall, she banned the practice of multiple c.c.s. She did it because such e-mails between elected officials who vote on public matters are a form of discussion. That discussion is supposed to take place in chambers, not on computer keyboards.
Judge: Ruling on Doe v. Reed R-71 disclosure case in 2 weeks
From Our Corner: October 4, 2011
U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle says he will rule within two weeks on a request from gay-marriage foes that he permanently seal Referendum 71 petitions from public access. Settle didn’t indicate how he will rule, but did say at one point from the bench Monday that the record submitted by challengers is “devoid” of direct evidence of harassment that could result if the petitions are released.
Doe vs Reed: The Next Chapter
The Seattle PI: October 2, 2011
Today Doe v. Reed continues. Anne Levinson shared the following summary of Doe v. Reed with me. Anne Levinson chaired the Approve 71 campaign to defeat the attempted repeal of the State’s comprehensive domestic partnership law. She was one of Washington State’s first openly LGBT public officials, serving as a judge, as chair of the State’s public utilities commission, and as legal counsel to the Mayor, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor in the City of Seattle.
Fight resumes over releasing Ref. 71 names
The Seattle Times: October 2, 2011
He's known in federal-court documents as John Doe #2, a former youth pastor and unabashed opponent of gay marriage who two years ago signed a petition to put benefits for same-sex couples up to a statewide vote.
Doe is unnamed because Protect Marriage Washington, the conservative organization that ran the Referendum 71 campaign to roll back those benefits, worries about harassment and reprisals against him and 137,500 others who signed the petition.
Records ruling costly for county
The Spokesmen-Review: September 30, 2011
A public records request about a seating chart may cost Spokane County more than $100,000 under a state Supreme Court ruling released Thursday.
The high court overturned two lower courts’ dismissals of a 2006 lawsuit by the Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County.
The nonprofit organization was trying to determine whether then-County Commissioner Phil Harris’ son Steve was given a county job before the formal hiring process began.
